South Shore players bring Mass. Maritime football team to full steam

The Mass. Maritime football team has built one of the most formidable offenses in NCAA Div. 3, with several South Shore players leading the attack. In all, about two dozen players with South Shore roots are on the Buccaneers’ roster.

It’s one of the great challenges of moving away to college – the moment you enter a room and don’t know a soul.

Incoming members of the Mass. Maritime Academy football may have faced that uncertainty in dorm and classrooms when they reached the Buzzards Bay campus in the fall of 2010, but not so much in the locker room. There, many new Buccaneers saw plenty of players they already knew – guys they’d played with or against in high school, or guys they’d heard about while playing on the South Shore.

“I thought it was great,” said Mike Stanton, the prolific senior quarterback who once played at North Quincy High School. “It made it easier to get in the swing of things. I saw some familiar faces and that made it easier to make friends.”

That familiarity has paid off. Mass. Maritime has posted winning records in each of the past three seasons – the first time that’s happened since 1998 through 2000 – and developed one of NCAA Div. 3’s most powerful offenses. With South Shore-bred stars like Stanton, receiver Keith Caruso (Hingham) and former Plymouth South teammates Stefan Gustafson (running back) and John Bochman (offensive line) leading the attack, the Bucs ranked sixth nationally in total yardage last season (520.7 yards per game), were No. 1 in first downs per game (27.67), and scored 40 points or more on four occasions.

“We haven’t changed the offense much since we’ve been here,” said Bochman, a senior captain. “It’s been because of the development of the players together and the way the senior class has come together like a tight-knit family. We all came out and did our best each week last year, and that was how the season ended up.”

Head coach Jeremy Cameron has asked some players to make adjustments along the way. Bochman, for instance, sometimes plays center and sometimes plays guard, while Gustafson – also a senior captain – was a defensive back for the first two years of his college career, while awaiting an opening in the offensive backfield.

Then there’s Stanton, the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder the school is pushing as a candidate for the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded annually since 1993 to the top player in NCAA Div. 3. He didn’t throw the ball much in North Quincy’s halfback-oriented offense, but was asked to do it once he became Mass. Maritime’s starter midway through his freshman season.

That’s what he hoped for.

“I didn’t want to stand there and hand it off all the time because I knew I could throw,” said Stanton, who made some visits to Div. 1 and 2 schools before deciding he’d have a better chance to use his skills at MMA. “I wanted to go somewhere I could open things up.

“I’m not sure I saw all this coming, though. It’s surprised me.”

Page 2 of 3 - Stanton, who has already set 17 school passing records, seems to have as many weapons to choose from once the ball is in his hands. He has the most experience and has been the most productive with Caruso.

They actually became acquainted before they got to Mass. Maritime.

“It started in my senior year of high school,” Stanton laughed. “He picked me off when we played against them.”

Now, the completions are intended and Caruso has made more than anyone in school history. His first catch from Stanton in last Thursday’s 24-20 victory over SUNY Maritime was the record-setting 126th of his career and he added six more.

“It seemed like we’ve had a connection from the start,” said Caruso, a slot/possession specialist who had 15 third- or fourth-down catches among his 56 receptions last season. “I didn’t play as much as Mike in my freshman year, but by sophomore year, when I kind of took over the starting role, it really blossomed from there.”

The Buccaneers’ offense hopes to blossom a bit Saturday at Maine Maritime. They overcame five turnovers and rallied from a 20-10 third-quarter deficit to beat SUNY Maritime, but were limited to what for them was a measly 288 yards.

“It was a good win for us – we need the win – but that was very uncharacteristic of our offense,” said Gustafson, who opened the season with a team-leading 67 yards rushing on 18 carries, one of them a touchdown. “We’ve got to do a lot better than that.”

Fortunately, Mass. Maritime’s defense made several big plays in Week 1, including a fumble recovery that stopped SUNY Maritime’s promising final drive.

The South Shore was well represented there, too. Scituate’s Matthew King was in on six tackles, with two resulting in lost yardage. Robert Gratzer (Pembroke) made five solo stops, while former Duxbury High teammates Nicholas Mann and Kyle Gavoni were credited with four tackles apiece.

Following Saturday’s non-conference game at Maine Maritime, the Buccaneers tackle a new era. They’ve left the New England Football Conference to join the new, nine-team Mass. State College Athletic Conference, and they’d love to be the first MASCAC football champion.

“We talked about it when we came in for the first day of training camp,” Gustafson said. “We put it on the table. Our ultimate goal is to win that championship.”

Bochman, who followed other Plymouthians to Mass. Maritime and is now one of about two dozen Buccaneers with South Shore roots, knows another way to go out on top.

“Win as much as we can, have a winning season,” he said. “That’d be a great way to go out. Leave it better than it was when we came in.”

Page 3 of 3 - Mike Loftus may be reached at mloftus@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @MLoftus_Ledger.